February 2014
Word of Life | The Language of Love
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Contents
February 2014
Choose Life Now- Today?
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Christian Education
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Single Advantage
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10 Ways to Love Our Communities
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Words of Life from Pastor G
Pastor G’s Growth Garden
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Love ‘s Sacrifice
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Endless Love
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Word of Life Christian Church 460 W. Atherton Rd. Flint, MI 48507 (810) 232-5944 www.thewordisalive.org February 2014
Word of Life | The Language of Love
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February 2014
Word of Life | The Language of Love
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Words of Life from Pastor G
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here is no doubt that the number one topic sung about is love. Yet it would be impossible to calculate the thousands, perhaps millions, of untold songs written about love. Many have tried to capture the essence of love; Tina Turner attempted to define love with a question, “what’s love got to do with it”? The Spinners’ lesson on love was that, “it takes a fool to learn that love don’t love nobody”. Mankind is captivated by love, the best selling books have love messages; the most popular TV programs are embedded with love themes. As a matter of fact, the most popular selling book of all time with over 5 billion copies sold, is a love book, it is the bible. In spite of the saturation of this evasive topic, it remains true that “what the world needs now is love, sweet love. It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of”. The main theme in the bible is love; for love is the motivation behind God’s desire to save mankind from the depths of despair - John 3:16. The bible tells us that love is of God and that God is love, and in order to love we must know Him; I John 4:7-8 states; “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” So, this month at Word of Life in order to elevate the love meter in our lives, I am going to focus on lessons in love, the language of love, and living a life of love. One of the key lessons of love is that in order to love like Christ you must be able to sacrifice. God’s example of love toward us is shared in Philippians the second chapter. Jesus sacrificed His life in many ways to save mankind. As the disciples of Jesus, we must be willing to sacrifice our life to live for Him; as husbands we must sacrifice and give up our life for our wives; as employees we must sacrifice in order to achieve and receive promotions; and as students we must sacrifice some fun in order to study and excel in the classroom. Sacrifice is at the forefront of one who loves.
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Another key lesson in learning to love like Jesus is that we must be willing to serve. Dr. King stated it best, “Everybody can be great because anybody can serve. You do not have to have a college degree to serve. You do not have to make subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace and a soul generated by love”. Learning to speak the language of love in our daily walk is important. Gary Champan authored the book the 5 Languages of Love. He expresses that in order to have meaningful relationships we must understand the 5 love languages. The five languages will be discussed in more depth during Morning Manna and future sermons; the five languages are: • • • • •
Words of Affirmation Acts of Service Receiving Gifts Quality Time Physical Touch
As we ponder and peruse the elements of love this month, it is important to remember that we are the instruments and the conduits of God’s love. If love is not dispensed from the Christian’s fountain, the world will never be loved. John 15:9 tells us “as the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love”. That is my challenge to Word of Life Christian Church - continue to love as Jesus loved, continue to love your enemies, continue to bless those with love that hate you. It was once said by Dr King, “I have decided to stick to love; hate is too great of a burden to bear”. Saints of God, remember God called us to stick to Him and in sticking to Him we must stick to living a life of love!
Be Blessed, Pastor G
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Christian Education
Sermons: 1st When You’re in Love 2nd Lukewarm Lovers 3rd Serving Leftovers to a Holy God 4th #Obsessed, #MadlyinlovewithChrist Morning Manna Themes: Love Believes Love Bears Love Forgives Love Covers Scriptures for January John 15:9 Deuteronomy 6:5 Proverbs 17:9 1 Peter 1:22
Tuesday Spiritual Development Class theme for the month What Happened to My Disciples?
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THE WORD Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that. Ephesians 5:1-2 MSG
Our Corporate Prayer Dear Heavenly Father, we come before your presence, just thanking you for who you are. We especially thank you for your love and your example of how to love others. We are your children, and like earthly children look to their parents for understanding how to behave properly, we should watch you. Merciful father, forgive us for those times that we’ve not had our eyes on you and we’ve been looking elsewhere for an example. Forgive us for not setting the proper example for how to live a life of love for our children, this next generation. Your word says that mostly what you do is love us. How God, are we then loving others? Please teach us. Show us. Impart on us your ways for loving others. Open our eyes to see how Christ loved us. We know His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Help us, oh God, to love like that. In Jesus’ Mighty Name, Amen!
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Single Advantage
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t is a true fact that love is a universal language, but it is also a fact that everyone does not express or communicate their love in the same manner. Do you know what it feels like to give so much love to a person, and not feel the same is returned? You may have loved them so hard, and when the relationship ended, you found yourself trying to make sense of something that just didn’t seem to make sense. How could they not love you back in the way you deserved? How could they have just walked away like it meant nothing? You gave them parts of your heart that you didn’t even know you had to give. Everyone is not in a position to receive your love. You cannot make someone love you, nor should you want it to be forced. Our Father God offers His love to us without conditions and that is the same kind of love that we should seek. Just remember, God can take the misery out of any memory. Your genuine love is one of the greatest gifts you have to offer in a relationship. Don’t allow a bad connection to change you from being who God created you to be. You were created in His image. God is love and it’s in February 2014
your DNA to seek and desire love. Bitterness can hinder you from receiving the love you deserve when the right person comes along. But, being single is not a bad thing. It is the time during your singleness that you have the opportunity to spend quality time with God and getting to know yourself better. This will teach you the value of your self-worth and give you the opportunity to love yourself. Once the value is established, you won’t have time for those who approach you seeking discounts or clearance rates on your love. Anyone can be involved in a relationship, but is it the right one? Being miserable in a relationship in order to say that you are not alone is inappropriate. That is not the plan God has for you. Proverbs 18:22 says: God’s blessing makes life rich; nothing we do can improve on God. Don’t feel you need to lower your standards just to get someone. If you do that, you’re insulting the very love you have to give. Love must always begin with you first. Your love of God and yourself is what will prepare you to love others.
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There are countless ways to serve God by serving in our communities. I dare you to make love your highest goal and start experiencing God’s greatest purpose. In order to help get you thinking about ways love can be translated in our communities, we thought we’d list ten ways for you to start loving your community: 1. Volunteer at a local school, senior center, hospital or animal shelter. These four places are always looking for a few extra hands. Whether it’s to share a skill or experience, help with simple tasks or just to lend an ear and laugh a bit, connecting with your neighbors (twolegged or otherwise!) in this way is priceless. You can never under-estimate the wonder of simple interactions between two beings. So take action and search for a local place, drop them a line and inquire about opportunities and get started.
5. Consider donating clothes, toys or books. When you clean out your closets, consider taking something to donate to the local shelter. You could also select some unused clothing, shoes and books from your closet and donate them to the homeless person across the street or consider donating personal hygiene items.
2. Write a letter to your local elected officials encouraging them for making good decisions for the community. People work harder when they know they are appreciated. Elected officials seldom hear enough encouraging words so take sometime this week and pass through your city or township office and drop a note.
7. Try something new on a regular basis. Break your routine. Go to different restaurants. Travel different roads. Attend a new festival this summer. Hang out with a different crowd. It’s difficult to hang on to negativity when you’re alway excited about trying something new.
3. Make an extra plate at dinner for your neighbor. You could also decide to cook enough dinner for an extra person one night and deliver a plate to your neighbor. Your delivery helps you to get to know your neighbors better. Did you know that the police even promote knowing your neighbors as the best way to fight neighborhood crime? 4. Help the elders in your neighborhood. Offer to mow their lawn, fix things around the house, cook meal, and run errands, plant flowers in their yard or shovel their snowed walk way in the winter.
February 2014
6. Conduct a public awareness campaign on an environmental issue of concern to your community such as graffiti, litter prevention or recycling.
8. Celebrate the success of your community members. Find ways to accentuate the positive. Support community achievement or special programs, it will boost their confidence and help them to strive for excellence and further uplift the image of your community. 9. Join a civic organization. Be a leader beyond your church. When the community (in addition to your church) is looking to you for leadership, then you should attempt to create a positive outlook for everyone where needed. 10. Any finally, pray for your community. Consider the needs and your desires for your community and take them to God. Through Him, all things are possible.
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The 5 Love Languages is February’s recommended reading for believers because we often understand the need to increase our love quotient and do not have the means to determine what it takes to act in love. Upon completion of this book you will have tangible tools to demonstrate love in meaningful relationships. The 5 Love Languages Falling in love is easy, but maintaining healthy relationships is a lifelong pursuit. Once you understand “love languages,” you’ll be able to nurture not only a romantic relationship, but also casual, business, and familial relationships effectually. With more than 8 million copies sold, Dr. Gary Chapman’s The 5 Love Languages will help you succeed in having joyful, enduring relationships.
February 2014
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His is how much God loved the world: He gave His Son, His one and only Son. Why you ask, tHis is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in Him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go through all the trouble of sending His Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Any person or group of people that you know of that have spent their life working to improve the lives of others were probably not motivated by personal reward or gain, but instead by the change they thought would take place due to their efforts. Whether it was the disciples or civil rights workers, I’m sure they were very passionate about helping others. Today too many of us put on the cross, in the form of jewelry, t shirts or tattoos but do not literally take up our crosses to follow Christ. Wearing and carrying the cross are two completely different things. When you are willing to be a follower of Christ, and sacrifice your life to discipleship, self is no longer the priority. Now is the time to change our address and live a life of sacrifice. We need to extend ourselves beyond what is comfortable and move towards the things of God, our family and our community. John 15:9-10 says; I’ve loved you the way my Father has loved me. Make yourselves at home in my love. If you keep my commands, you’ll remain intimately at home in my love. That’s what I’ve done— kept my Father’s commands and made myself at home in His love. We have lived in the house of God’s love for far too long without sacrificing our lives. We have continued to seek His hand, for favor and blessings without extending our hand of sacrifice towards others. As we mature, it is imperative that we move from not only seeking His hand, but also to seeking His face. By seeking His face we move from a house to a home, and become a person of His love and sacrifice. During tHis time of reflection in African American History Month let us not lose sight of those who sacrificed their lives so that we can enjoy the privileges that we experience today. If it had not been for those who placed others ahead of themselves, we could not live where we live today, we could not work or eat at the places of our choosing, or receive care at any of the hospitals that weren’t designated just for us. The Disciples that walked with Christ and those that joined the movement after His death also gave their lives by following the mandate that Jesus gave in Mark 16:16 “Go into the world. Go everywhere and announce the Message of God’s good news to one and all. Whoever believes and is baptized is saved; whoever refuses to believe is damned”. Stephen was stoned, Paul and Silas were beat until they were black and blue, had their clothes ripped off and were thrown in jail for simply doing what Jesus had instructed. Be encouraged, remember and reflect on the sacrifices of our ancestors. Remember, there is still work to be done in order to positively impact future generations. When you truly embrace the cross, it becomes a sign of love and of total self-giving. Then and only then will we begin to understand love’s sacrifice. To carry the cross and follow Christ means to be united with Him in offering the greatest proof of love. I implore you to take up your cross and follow Christ.
February2014 January 2014
Word of Life | The Urgency LanguageofofNow! Love
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cherish for the rest of his life, but she had to love Christ. They were married August 14, 1971. They have a daughter and son in law and one son. They are proud to be the grandparents of three grandchildren. Linda and Lennex enjoy many of the same things. He counts it as a bonus that God blessed him with a wife that loves sports. They are ardent fans of all teams that represent the State of Michigan. After college Lennex was offered a job with the Flint Community Schools while Linda attended graduate school at the University of Michigan. She later also became employed by the Flint School District and between them they dedicated 71.5 years to educating children. Since retiring, Lennex and Linda are spending their days traveling and enjoying family.
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ennex and Linda Burroughs have loved each other and been married for more than four decades. They met in 1966 during their freshman year of college. They attended Central Michigan University where Lennex was a member of the football team. Their courtship began during their sophomore year of college after Linda won the title of NCAA Football Queen. She was the first African American woman to win this title in the history of Central Michigan University. Every queen needs a king, and since Lennex was a member of the football team he was asked to be her escort as she received her crown. Lennex said, “Of all the men on the football team they chose me and I was blessed to eventually win her heart”. Linda’s dad George Wilkinson Sr. always told her that when she got married to make sure he was a christian man, because it was important that she not be unequally yoked. At that time she wasn’t exactly sure what a yoke had to do with marriage. She later gained clarity on the valuable wisdom that her father had offered to her. Lennex desired to be married, so he sought God. He prayed for God to give him a wife that he could
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The Burroughs use one key ingredient in their recipe for a lasting marriage. It is found in Proverbs 3: Don’t lose your grip on Love and Loyalty. Tie them around your neck; carve their initials on your heart. Earn a reputation for living well in God’s eyes and the eyes of the people. Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track. Don’t assume that you know it all. This is how they have survived the peaks and valleys of marriage. They are well-founded to the fact that the commitment that they made was not only to each other but to God first. When asked how they handle the conflicts Linda said “I think before I speak and analyze and possibly over analyze the situation before I respond.” Lennex stated “I use God’s word as a barometer, if what I am feeling doesn’t line up with what God has said then I go to God in prayer for guidance”. To have an endless and enduring love, one must recognize that marriage is very serious and isn’t easy. However, when you start with God and remember to extend His invitation beyond the wedding and include Him in the marriage, love and endurance can be yours.
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